Using Windows Deployment Services with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit

For LTI, MDT 2010 generates Windows PE boot images that connect to the deployment point and starts the Windows Deployment Wizard. The Windows Deployment Wizard allows the user to select an operating build to configure, applications to install, and so on.

MDT 2010 generates boot images when you update deployment points. MDT 2010 generates .iso image files that you can burn to DVD. You find these boot images in the \DeploymentShare$\Boot folder on your MDT 2010 technician computer. The file name is LiteTouchPE_platform.iso, where platform is x86 or x64. After you burn the .iso image to DVD and then use this DVD to start destination computers.

MDT 2010 also generates Windows PE .wim boot images that you can add to Windows Deployment Services. Starting the MDT 2010 Windows PE boot images by using Windows Deployment Services is more convenient and quicker than using DVDs. You find these boot images in the \DeploymentShare$\Boot folder on your MDT 2010 technician computer. The file name is LiteTouchPE_platform.wim, where platform is x86 or x64. You can import this boot image into Windows Deployment Services using the instructions in the section titled "Importing Images" earlier in this tutorial.

MDT 2010 can also use Windows 7 installation images from Windows Deployment Services. By doing so, you can use installation sources that already exist in a Windows Deployment Services server without duplicating the files in an MDT 2010 deployment share. This requires that you copy Wdsclientapi.dll, Wdscsl.dll, and Wdsimage.dll from the \Sources folder of the Windows 7 media to the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Deployment Toolkit\Bin folder. It also requires that at least one Windows 7 source must exist within the deployment share and that you must create and update a deployment share. MDT 2010 uses the setup program files from the deployment share to install the Windows 7 image from the Windows Deployment Services server.

To add images from Windows Deployment Services to an MDT 2010 deployment share, perform the following steps:

1. Add a full set of Windows 7 source files to an MDT 2010 deployment share.
2. Copy the following files from the \Sources folder of the Windows 7 media to the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Deployment Toolkit\Bin folder:
   • Wdsclientapi.dll
   • Wdscsl.dll
   • Wdsimage.dll
3. In the MDT 2010 Deployment Workbench console tree, right-click Operating Systems under your deployment share and click Import Operating System to start the New Operating System Wizard.
4. On the OS Type page, select Windows Deployment Services Images and then click Next to add an image from a Windows Deployment Services server to the distribution share.
5. On the WDS Server page, type the name of the Windows Deployment Services server from which to add the operating system images and then click Finish.
6. Deployment Workbench adds all the installation images it finds in Windows Deployment Services to the Operating Systems folder.